Strange Occurences
by whitetigerofthenight321
Summary: Ash, Cilan, and Iris are on their way to another town when they run into Gary, Ash's old rival. As the four are traveling together, they get separated, leaving Ash and Gary to try to find their way. Instead of finding the town, they stumbled upon something neither one of them expected. When trouble arises, it's up to Ash and his friends to save the day. Note: NOT Palletshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello my lovlies! This is just a story that I dreamed up a long while ago and I finally decided to write it all down! Hope you like it, and let me know what you think! :)**

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Ash sighed contently, stretching his sore body. He looked down to see his Pikachu sprawled out in the shade. "You tired to buddy?"

"Piikaa." He replied with a yawn.

"Axeeew." Axew added, flopping down on the ground.

"Looks like everyone is tired. Why don't I make us some lunch?" Cilan said, whipping out his apron.

"Alright!" Ash and Iris exclaimed, their Pokémon echoing their enthusiasm with renewed energy.

"We should let everyone out to get some fresh air." Iris suggested, reaching for her pokèballs on the ground.

"Great idea Iris!" Ash exclaimed, reaching for his own. "Alright everyone, come on out!"

The pokèballs flew into the air, releasing the pokémon inside. They all cried in delight, smiling at their trainers.

"Alright guys, let's play!" Ash exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air. The pokémon agreed whole heartedly (minus Charizard and Dragonite, who decided to opt out in favor of relaxing under a tree.). Ash and the group began to kick and smack the ball to each other, which was Ashes roundabout way to improve upon their team work. Iris joined in after a failed attempt to get Dragonite to participate in the games. One particularly hard hit from Pignite sent the ball flying through the air. Ashes eyes widened when he realized the ball was speeding towards a figure just beyond the clearing.

"Heads up!" he shouted, but he needn't have worried for the stranger's Umbreon smacked the ball away with it's tail.

"Sorry about that… Wait, Gary?" Ash squinted at the figure, and sure enough Gary Oak stepped into the clearing.

"Ash?" Gary replied, just as surprised as Ash. Ash let out a laugh and strolled over to great his longtime rival.

"It is you! How've you been?" he asked, lifting his fist. Gary smiled and bumped his fist against it.

"Pretty good Ash. Saw you in the Unova league, you did good." Ash scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Gary then noticed the people behind him. "Who're your friends?"

"This is Iris, and the guy cooking is Cilan." Ash introduced. Both waved in greeting.

"Why don't you join us? I'm almost done making lunch." Cilan suggested, setting the plates on the table.

"That would be great, thanks."

"Umbre!" Umbreon agreed, smiling at her trainer.

"Piiika!" Pikachu greeted, trotting over to greet his old friend.

"Oh right! You haven't met some of my pokémon yet!" Ash called his pokémon over, though he let Charizard rest under the tree some more. "This is Pignite, Oshawatt, Snivey, and Scraggy. You already know Charizard of course."

"How could I forget, he was the reason you beat me in the Johto league." Gary joked, reaching out to pet Snivey who surprisingly let him. "They all look as good as they did on T.V., looks like you trained them well."

"Thanks Gary." Ash said, standing tall with pride.

"This is Axew, Emolga, Excadrill, and Dragonite." Iris butted in, unintentionally shoving Ash to the side.

Gary smiled and waved at all her pokémon. "Nice to meet you." He said politely. Cilan waved everyone over for lunch.

"Alright everyone, dig in!" Cilan said with his signature smile, sitting across from Gary. All of the pokémon chowed down enthusiastically, clearly enjoying their food.

"So how do you and Ash know each other?" Iris asked, digging into her sandwich.

"We grew up together back in Pallet town. We also became trainers at the same time, so naturally we became rivals." Ash began, smiling at his longtime friend.

"We used to compete in leagues back in Kanto and Johto, but after Ashy-boy here beat me at the silver league, I realized that I wanted to become a pokémon researcher instead of a trainer." Gary finished, returning Ash's smile, though not quite as obnoxiously large as Ashe's.

"A pokémon researcher? Wow! Do you mind if I ask what you are studying here in Unova?" Cilan asked politely. Iris and Ash looked at Gary curiously, also wanting to know.

"I came to study the newly discovered evolution of Eevee, named Sylveon."

"Sylveon? I've never heard of it before. What kind of pokémon is it?" Iris inquired, all three of them staring at Gary in wonder.

"After studying it we decided that it was a fairy type pokémon."

"Whoa, a fairy type? That's a new type, right?" Ash asked, his eyes bright with excitement.

Gary nodded in confirmation. "That's why I came here to help the research team in charge of the case to find out more about it."

"What a delectable discovery! A sweet treat with the savory sent of discovery!" Cilan exclaimed, a hand over his heart. Gary glanced at him warily, not really knowing how to react.

"Cilan is a pokémon connoisseur, so he often refers to things like this as flavors." She said, sounding apologetic. Gary relaxed his gaze.

"Oh really? What class are you Cilan?" he inquired, genuinely curious.

"I happen to be an A rank connoisseur. And may I say that you and your Umbreon make quite the pair. She is obviously well trained." Gary smiled fondly at his good friend, who was staring back with the same look in her eyes.

"Thanks. We've been a team since she was an Eevee." He scratched the top of her head affectionately.

"Umbree." She replied with a smile, rubbing her head in Gary's hand.

"So what have you been up to Ash?" Gary said, looking up.

"Actually we're headed back to Pallet town, but we decided to travel around the islands first to see the sights." He replied, scratching Pikachu's head when he hopped on his shoulder. "We're heading to Hannenburg City next."

"Oh really? That's the town I'm headed to."

"Why don't you travel with us? The more the merrier!" Cilan suggested. Ash grinned.

"Yeah! Come with us!" he cheered.

"Sure! It's nice to have company every once and a while." Gary replied. "What do you think Umbreon?"

"Umbreon!" She chirped happily, standing up. Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder and onto Umbreon's back.

"Piiiika!" he exclaimed, happy that he had another friend to travel with. They all laughed at the action.

"Well then, it looks like it's settled." Cilan said, putting the dishes and cooking supplies away. Ash and Iris recalled their pokémon minus Axew and Pikachu of course, while Gary decided to leave Umbreon out so she could get some exercise.

"Alright, let's move out!" Ash exclaimed throwing a fist in the air.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added, just as energized as his trainer. The others smiled at the pair's enthusiasm and together they started their trek to Hannenburg City.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: You better love me, because this is a heuuuuuuge chapter! :D Haha just kidding! Send in those reviews so I know what you think and how to improve. Enjoy! ^_^**

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"So Gary, what made you want to be a pokémon researcher?" Cilan asked. Gary smiled wistfully.

"Well, a lot of it had to do with my grandfather. You see, he's a pokémon researcher as well, and a brilliant one at that. Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to know anything and everything about each pokémon I came across and my grandfather taught me everything about each one. Even as a trainer I studied and analyzed every pokémon I caught and took note of their strengths and their unique characteristics."

"What a savory approach, peppered with a slight spice of wonder. You're grandfather sounds like a great person."

"Yeah, Professor Oak is great!" Ash butted in, smiling. Both Cilan and Iris froze.

"Wait, your grandfather is the Professor Oak? No wonder you wanted to follow in his footsteps! He is an amazing pokémon researcher, or so I've been told." Cilan said, thoroughly impressed.

"Thank you." Gary replied, feeling slightly awkward.

"Hey guys, we might want to get moving. It looks like there's some fog coming our way." Iris interrupted, feeling slightly nervous.

"Fog? That's weird, I didn't hear anything about fog coming in today." Gary wondered, staring at the growing clouds

"Neither have we, and it's been sunny all day." Cilan added, just as confused.

"Pika?" Pikachu said, hopping onto Ash's shoulder.

"Don't worry buddy, I'm sure it'll pass soon." Ash said, smiling reassuringly at his friend. As they traveled though, Ash was proved wrong.

"I can't believe how thick this is!" Iris whined, carefully feeling the ground with her feet to make sure she didn't miss a step.

"Axew." Axew agreed, feeling nervous.

"Umbreon, do you think you can guide us through this fog?" Gary asked, stopping mid-step. Umbreon nodded.

"Umbreon!" she replied, releasing light from the circle on her forehead. The group slowly made their way through the forest, Umbreon leading the way. Unfortunately, within an hour the fog proved to be too thick for Umbreon's light to cut through.

"Umbre.." Umbreon said dejectedly, turning her light off.

"It's okay Umbreon, the fog's just too thick." Gary reassured, kneeling down to pet her head. "Return."

With a flash of red Umbreon was back into her pokèball.

"What do we do now?" Iris said, struggling to see three feet in front of her.

"Not much we can do." Gary admitted, "But we need to stick close together so we don't get lost."

"Right." The other three agreed. Cautiously they wandered further, trying to feel the ground with their feet. Suddenly, Cilan stepped on loose soil, and without thinking grabbed on to the nearest thing to him, which happened to be Iris. They both screamed, falling off the ledge they had unknowingly come across.

"Iris! Cilan! Are you guys okay?" Ash shouted, frantically squinting through the fog to try to spot them.

"We're okay!" Iris hollered back, sounding far away.

"Snivey, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed, throwing a pokèball into the air. Snivey appeared, thrown off by the thickness of the fog for a moment. "Snivey, use vine whip to try and get them up here." He commanded. Snivey nodded, shooting her vines down the cliff. "Quick! Grab on!"

"We can't see it!" Cilan replied. Snivey pushed, trying to reach as far as she could.

"It's no good Ash, their too far down." Gary said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"What are we going to do?" Ash asked, worried about his friends. Gary paused, not really knowing how to respond.

"Just keep heading towards town, we'll meet up with you guys later." Cilan shouted through the fog.

"Alright. Be careful." Gary said, directing Ash and Pikachu away from the ledge.

"Snivey return." Ash murmured, feeling utterly useless.

"Ash, you did the best you could, we'll meet up with them again." Gary comforted, squeezing Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, you're right. Come on Pikachu, let's head out so we can get there as soon as possible." Ash said, reaching his arm down for Pikachu to climb up.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu replied, hopping onto his shoulder.

"Umbreon, come on out!" Gary threw his pokèball in the air.

"Umbreon!" Umbreon exclaimed, rubbing her head against her master's leg.

"The fog has cleared a little bit, so why don't we try your light again." Gary said, scratching her head affectionately.

"Umbreon." Umbreon nodded, switching her light on once more.

Little by little they trudged through the forest, until eventually the fog cleared, the treetops shinning with sunlight once more. Gary and Ash shared a look.

"That fog was really weird. Do you think a pokémon did it?" Ash inquired, surveying the area warily.

"It could have been. A group of pokémon might have put it up to protect themselves. But why go to that much trouble?" Gary wondered as well. "Stay on guard, something could attack at any moment."

Ash nodded, watching the bushes closely for any sign of movement. "Keep your eyes peeled Pikachu."

"Pika." Pikachu whispered, looking around.

"You too Umbreon." Gary commanded gently.

"Umbreon."

The four walked cautiously kept moving, making it a point to tread carefully and quietly along the path. Unfortunately for them their efforts weren't enough for not three minutes later a pair of pokémon popped out of the bushes.

"An Ivysaur and a Lucario?" Ash wondered, both he and Pikachu poised for a fight.

"But what are they doing together?" Gary finished, staring down their opponents. The Lucario jumped high in the air, the sun blocking it from view.

"Pikachu, electro ball!" Ash shouted. Pikachu jumped up and sent the ball of electricity flying towards what he thought was Lucario, but missed. The Lucario came down and grabbed Pikachu midair, using force palm attack which sent Pikachu flying back to the ground. "Pikachu!"

"Pii…. Kaa.." Pikachu struggled to his feet, readying himself for the next move.

Meanwhile, Gary had his hands full with the Ivysaur. "Umbreon, use hidden power!"

"Umbreeon!" Umbreon shouted sending a barrage of spheres straight towards the Ivysaur. The Ivysaur used it's incredibly quick vine whip to deflect each and every hit.

Gary was amazed, but tried to ignore the feeling to focus. "Umbreon, use sand-attack!"

"Umbreon!" Umbreon turned and dug her back legs into the ground, sending a shower of loose soil towards the Ivysaur. Once again the Ivysaur deflected it easily, only this time using a powerful razor leaf which sent Umbreon flying into a nearby tree.

"Umbreon, hang in there." Gary shouted, encouraging her to shakily stand up. Before she could do anything the Ivysaur sped towards her using double edge, knocking her back down to the ground, only this time she couldn't get back up. "Umbreon are you okay."

"Breon." She whimpered, obviously suffering. Gary grazed his fingers over her dark fur in an attempt to comfort her.

Ash gritted his teeth. This Lucario was tough! Every move Pikachu would make it seemed like the pokémon was three steps ahead of them. If this continued Pikachu would be in big trouble.

"Pikachu, use iron tail and electroball!" Ash commanded, knowing that this was their last shot.

"Pikapikapikaaaaa…" Pikachu charged up, his tail shining brightly like metal with the crackled of electricity. "Ka pi!" Pikachu hollered, launching it towards Lucario. Lucario shot an aura sphere, which was strong enough to push the electro ball back to Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, running to his friend's side. "Are you okay?"

"Pi…..ka pi." Pikachu mumbled before promptly passing out.

"Pikachu…" Ash whispered, scooping the little mouse up in his arms.

The Lucario starred at the two boys, before he sauntered over to where Ash was kneeling. On instinct Ash tightened his hold on Pikachu, which for some reason made the Lucario smile.

_"Relax human, the fight is done. I only wish to help."_ A voice spoke, making Ash jump.

"Telepathy…" Ash murmured, watching as the Lucario knelt down to his level. Closing it's eyes, it sent out shimmery waves of light, which Ash realized was the move heal pulse. Ash watched in awe as Pikachu's injuries were immediately healed, and slowly he opened his eyes.

"Piika?" Pikachu said, blinking sleepily.

"Shh, you just rest for now buddy, okay?" Ash hushed, brushing his fingers over Pikachu's forehead. Pikachu smiled weakly and did as his master asked, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

The Lucario nodded in satisfaction and moved on to Umbreon, healing her quickly and efficiently. Gary smiled in thanks, recalling his pokémon back into her pokèball. The Lucario didn't respond, merely stepping back next to its comrade Ivysaur.

"Thanks for helping our pokémon." Ash asked, grateful that his Pikachu wasn't hurting anymore.

"But why did you attack us in the first place?" Gary added, more curious than annoyed. Ash nodded, also wanting to know.

"_It was a warning." _Lucario explained, taking on a harsh look to its face. _"Stay away from this place." _

"Ivysaur!" the Ivysaur agreed, staring intently at the pair.

"We didn't mean to intrude, we just got lost in that fog." Ash explained, feeling bad for barging into their home.

"There's a reason that fog is there." A voice said from above. Gary and Ash jumped, looking around for the body attached to the voice. Out of nowhere a figure landed in front of the two guard pokémon, another pokémon resting on her shoulder. Though the figure was obviously a girl, you couldn't see her features for she and the pokémon on her shoulder were covered in all black material. "You put that up there? But why would you need that much security?" Gary asked, slightly suspicious. The girl began circling around him, her big green eyes seeming to take in every single detail of his person. She twirled around Ash in the same fashion, her gaze never wavering. Seeming satisfied she clapped her hands together.

"Alright! You two seem like a trustworthy bunch, what do you think Kiara?" she proclaimed, staring at the pokémon on her shoulder.

"Pikachu." The Pikachu agreed.

"Alright guys, stand down." She said with a wave to the pokémon behind her. They both nodded , their faces becoming softer, more open to the strangers. The girl pulled her cap and half mask off, revealing dark brown hair and tanned skin.

"My name is Mariana, but everyone calls me Mari." She introduced offering her hand to the both of them.

"On my right here is Lucas," She said, nodding her head towards the Lucario. Lucas bowed his head in acknowledgement, "and on my left is Rose."

"Ivysaur!" she greeted with a smile.

"Nice to meet you!" Ash and Gary said in unison, returning the smile.

"And this here is Kiara." She said, looking at the Pikachu on her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to take the mask off?"

"Pika, Pikachuuu." Kiara said, sounding a bit like a whine. Mari laughed, shaking her head.

"I know it feels cool to wear it, but it's rude to not show your face." The girl chided, her smile widening.

"Pika." Kiara relented, pulling off her hood, revealing her face. Gary and Ash starred at her in shock. Kiara's coloring was a far cry from any Pikachu either of them had seen. For one thing, her eyes were green. The majority of her fur was medium brown in color, the only exception being the black tips of her ears. The circles on her cheeks were amaranth in color rather than the usual red. Mari yanked the rest of the outfit off of her little body, revealing three yellow stripes on her back as well as at the base of her tail. The two boys couldn't help but stare at the strange little pokémon.

Mari blinked, taking a minute to realize what they were staring at. She chuckled. "Yeah, she's special alright."

"When did she acquire this coloring?" Gary asked in full on researcher mode. Mari shrugged.

"She's always been this way, ever since she was a Pichu." She replied nonchalant. Kiara tilted her head cutely.

"Pika?" she murmured, hopping off Mari's shoulder. She troted over to Ash, leaping onto his shoulder to get a good look at his Pikachu.

"This is my good friend Pikachu." Ash said, smiling at her. Kiara wasn't paying attention, focusing on her investigative sniffing. Her green eyes widened.

"Pika pi!" she yelped, sending a look towards her trainer. Mari's face became serious.

"You think something's wrong with Pikachu?" Mari inquired, coming over to place a hand over Pikachu's forehead.

"Ka pi!" Kiara said urgently. Mari frowned.

"Alright. We need to get back to my place immediately." Mari concluded, motioning for the other two pokémon to go on ahead. Kiara jumped back onto Mary's shoulder but didn't take her eyes off of Pikachu.

"What's wrong with my Pikachu?" Ash asked worriedly.

"I'm not totally sure, we have to get back to the house so I can figure it out." Mari responded absentmindedly, rubbing her finger gently over Pikachu's cheek, noticing the random static pulsating from the red circles. "Let's get going."

Ash looked over at Gary, unsure. Gary merely shrugged and followed Mari. Ash nodded and followed close behind, tucking Pikachu closer to his chest.

"It's not much further! Mari called out, waving her hand towards the boys. She turned to Lucas who was by her side in an instant. "Lucas, go on ahead and warn the others that we're heading home. Once you let them know, go help Ania and Charley keep the other's calm, okay?"

Lucas nodded and in the blink of an eye he bolted through the trees at a break neck speed.

"Chaaaaa." Pikachu whimpered, squirming in Ash's arms. Ash shushed him gently, petting his head in an attempt to comfort him.

"Let's hurry!" Mari commanded, quickening her pace. Gary and Ash bolted after her, surprised at her speed.

They quickly arrived at her house, though neither Ash nor Gary had time to admire the details of it. Mari quickly led them to a large open room with examination tabled strewn about, along with various equipment. Several Audinos, Chanseys, and Blisseys tended to the pokémon that were kept in incubators for protection.

"Alright, let's see what's up with Pikachu here." Mari said, motioning for an Audino to help her with the equipment. Ash carefully laid Pikachu on the examination table. Standing back, Ash watched nervously, just wanting his friend to be okay. He felt a hand clasp his shoulder and he didn't even have to turn around to know it was Gary. Ash nodded in understanding, running a hand through his hair to try and calm down.

"Pika?" Kiara said softly, pulling on Ash's pant leg. Ash smiled faintly and knelt down to her level.

"Thank you for telling us about Pikachu. If it wasn't for you, he could have been in big trouble." Ash thanked kindly, scratching her head. Kiara smiled, leaning her head into his hand.

"Chaa."

"Kiara, can you come over here for a second?" Mari interrupted. Kiara's ears stood at attention, she flipped around with a single "Pi?" before bounding over and hopped gracefully onto the table.

"It looks like Pikachu has some electricity plugging up his electric sacs. I need you to send some small shocks through his cheeks to see if we can get it to regulate again." Mari commanded, removing the electrodes from Pikachu's body.

Kiara nodded and positioned herself so one of her cheeks was touching one side while her tail was touching the other. She sent out small sparks through her body, using short spurts so as not to send his body into shock. Slowly but surely Pikachu's temperature went back to normal, though you could tell he was engorged with electricity.

"Okay Kiara, that's enough." She dismissed happily. Kiara nodded and stepped back.

"Pika?" Pikachu said, sitting up and looking around.

"Pikachu, you're okay!" Ash exclaimed, his face nearly splitting with the intensity of his smile.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu exclaimed, about to jump into Ash's arms when Mari quickly grabbed him with her now gloved hands. Both of them gave her a wary look and she smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, but you can't touch him until he gets rid of all that extra electricity." She said, setting Pikachu on the ground. "Audrey, can you put this equipment away for me? I need to take them to the practice range."

"Audino." the Audino standing next to her said with a nodded, immediately setting to work on the equipment. Mary turned back to the rest of the group.

"Alright Pikachu, let's get that electricity out!" she said, leading the group out of the house.

"Piika!" Pikachu replied, ready to get rid of all the burning pressure in his cheeks. Soon they were at the practice range, surrounded by targets of all shapes and sizes.

"Alright Pikachu, I want you to aim for that target right there." Mari pointed to a large cone shaped target with rings and a ball at the top, similar to a large intena. Pikachu nodded. "Now let 'er rip!"

"Piiiiikaaaaaaa…Chuuuuuu!" Pikachu hollered, sending a huge thunder bolt at the target. Ash and Gary stared in amazement at the raw power that was coming out of Pikachu.

"That's it, keep going Pikachu!" Ash encouraged, smiling at his friend. Pikachu smiled back and pushed harder.

"Piiiikkkkaaaaaaaa!" Pikachu screamed. The bulb on the top of the target burst into a million pieces. Pikachu stopped, thoroughly exhausted from the effort.

"You really did have a ton of electricity stocked up, huh?" Mari said, smiling sympathetically.

"Chuuu.." Pikachu murmured, becoming sleepy. Ash scooped him up in his arms.

"No wonder he got so sick." Gary added, eyeing at the now destroyed target. Pikachu was struggling to keep his eyes open, not wanting to miss anything.

"Go ahead and sleep buddy." Ash urged gently. Pikachu snuggled into his trainer and quickly fell asleep.

"Hey Kiara, can you make sure his electric levels are back to normal?" Mari asked softly not wanting to wake up Pikachu. Kiara nodded and hopped onto Ash's shoulder again, pressing her cheek against Pikachu's once more. She closed her eyes in concentration, then turned back to her trainer.

"Pikachu." She said cheerily.

"Everything back to normal?" Kiara nodded enthusiastically.

"Pika!" she scooted back over to Mari's shoulder, curling her tail loosely around her neck.

"Good." Mari said, scratching her partner's head affectionately. "Pikachu needs to rest for a while, so I would recommend you stay here while he recuperates."

"Are you sure? We don't want to impose." Gary inquired politely, but Mary dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

"Nonsense, the more the merrier, right Kiara?"

"Pikachu!" Kiara agreed whole heartedly.

"Thanks. And thank you for helping Pikachu, he really means a lot to me." Ash said, thankful that they ran into someone who knew what they were doing.

"No problem. Kiara went through the same thing Pikachu did a few times. Just make sure you massage his cheeks every now and then to keep his electric sacs flowing smoothly." Ash nodded, glad that his little buddy was okay.

"I've gotta say, that technique you used was pretty smart." Gary complimented, thoroughly impressed. "How did you come up with the idea?"

"While Kiara and I were traveling together, we came across a group of Pikachu grooming each other. I noticed how when one became warn out from playing the other would press it's cheek up to the first one, sending tiny shocks to boost the Pikachu's energy." She elaborated, holding the door for them. "When my Plusle Pauli got sick, I thought I could use the same technique, though I had to have Kiara wrap her body so that both her cheek and her tail were touching, otherwise it wouldn't work."

"Wow, that's awesome Mari." Ash said, setting Pikachu down on a lounge chair. A Rattata nudged Ash's leg. Ash turned to find that it was offering him a small blanket.

"Thanks little guy." Ash said, scratching the pokémon behind the ear.

"Rattata." Rattata replied, happy to help. Mari smiled warmly at the pokémon.

"That was really sweet of you Tino." She commented, making the Rattata blush.

"Ratta…" he trailed off, feeling embarrassed.

"Do you nick name all of your pokémon?" Ash asked, pulling the blanket over Pikachu's sleeping body.

"Of course. It makes me feel closer to them. Plus it's fun to see the look on trainers faces when they have to wait to see what kind of pokémon I sent into battle." Mari grinned wickedly, mischief twinkling in her eye. Ash and Gary laughed.

"So you are a pokémon trainer along with being a nurse?" Gary asked, sitting at the table. Mary sat across from him while Kiara scampered over to watch over Pikachu.

"Actually I'm not a nurse, just an experienced trainer." Mari stated sheepishly, rubbing her nose with a finger.

"Oh? Then how do you take care of the pokémon?"

"Well, I'm actually really good friends with Nurse Joy in Hannenburg City, and she helps to train all the nurse aids and gives me tips from time to time. However, if it's an emergency I still tend to send the pokémon to her just to be on the safe side." She replied. Tino jumped into her lap, closing his eyes contently when he felt his trainer's fingers caress his fur.

"I see." Gary murmured.

"So where are we exactly?" Ash asked, entering the conversation.

"Oh sorry, with all the hub bub I forgot to tell you." Mari apologized, "This is Sunny Pallet Ranch."

"Wait, Pallet? As in Pallet town?" Ash sputtered, startled by the proclamation. Gary starred, also feeling perplexed.

"Why yes, that's where I was born and raised. How'd you know that?" Mari asked, tilting her head inquisitively.

"That's where we're from!" Ash exclaimed, happy to meet another person from his hometown. Gary nodded in confirmation.

"Oh really? Do you know Sam Oak?"

"That's my grandfather." Gary affirmed, though he was a little hoodwinked as to why this girl would use his grandfather's first name.

"Neat! I wondered why you looked so familiar." Mari said with a smile. Gary and Ash shared a look.

"Have we met before?" Gary wondered aloud, searching in his brain for any recollection of this girl.

"No, but Sammy has told me a lot about the two of you, not to mention sent me plenty of pictures." She replied cheerily, taking a quick sip from her glass of water. Gary and Ash stared at each other. Who the heck was this girl? And why was she so familiar with Professor Oak?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Just wanted to tell you to check the bottom if you are having trouble keeping up with the nick names. Please send in those reviews so I can improve if need be. Enjoy! ^_^**

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"So, do you want to have a look around?" Mari said, interrupting the pair's train of thought. They both nodded, deciding that the explanations were unimportant right now.

"That would be great!" Ash replied, practically bursting with excitement. Mari laughed.

"Alright, it's settled."

"Rattata!" Tino agreed, hopping off Mari's lap so she could stand. She excused herself to change, leaving Ash and Gary alone.

"Pika?" Kiara piped up, hopping onto the table with a curious look on her face.

"I wonder how she got her looks." Ash wondered aloud, eyeing Kiara up and down.

"There are some rare cases of similar mutations, but they usually are on bug types like Butterfree." Gary replied, holding his hand out for Kiara to sniff. Kiara nudged his hand with her head and scurried onto Gary's shoulder, tapping his head lightly with her tail.

"Ready to go?" Mari said, adjusting her light yellow and yellow-orange hat backwards, pulling her bangs through the hole. Mari's get up consisted of a jagged crop double spaghetti strap top that was mint green with a strip of yellow orange overlapping an olive green tank top. The hem on her brown bermuda shorts was frayed at the edges with big pockets on the outside of each leg and was held up by a dark grey belt with pokèballs attached to the side. Her charcoal double banded sandals made a soft tap sound across the hard wood of the floor. Mari reached one of her charcoal gloved hands to scratch Kiara's ear with her barred fingers. Kiara tugged on the yellow orange band of her glove playfully, using it to propel herself forward to sit on the table once more.

"'You goober." Mari murmured, rubbing the top of Kiara's head affectionately before bending over to grab her maroon drawstring bag, exposing a purplish pendant around her neck. "All set. You guys ready to go?" Gary and Ash looked at each other briefly before nodding in reply. Mari smiled and was about to head over through the door way when something apparently dawned on her.

"Oh, Kiara? Can you stay behind and make sure Pikachu is recuperating well? And if Hannah comes by, please be patient with her. She only wants to help." Mari instructed. Kiara groaned at the prospect of…. Well, whatever pokémon Hannah was, but she nodded none the less. Mari smiled in thanks, heading for the door. "Come on. I'll show you the motley crew while we're at it!" She said as she walked, Tino following close behind.

"Rattata!" Tino exclaimed happily.

"Pi… Ka." Pikachu murmured, trying to sit up. Ash pushed him back gently.

"You need to stay here for a while, okay buddy? I'll be back soon." Ash said, brushing his fingers over Pikachu's forehead. Kiara nudged Pikachu's cheek with her tail. "That's right! Kiara will be here if you need anything, so don't worry."

"Chaaa…" Pikachu replied drowsily, turning to look at the brunette Pikachu.

"Pika!" Kiara said cheerfully, tapping her tail lightly on top Pikachu's head.

"Hey Ash, you coming?" Gary called from the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm coming" Ash answered. He turned back to Pikachu. "Rest easy buddy."

Ash scurried out the door, meeting up with Mari and Gary who were having a light conversation. Ash came over just as Gary let Umbreon back out of her pokèball, who was busy greeting Tino enthusiastically.

"Sorry about that."

"No problem Ash. Now follow closely, this is a pretty big area so it's easy to get lost." Mari said, leading the way. She wasn't kidding either. The place was _huge_! The ranch stretched as far as the eye could see. Gary and Ash gawked, totally taken aback with the sheer size and quality.

"Okay, so first we have the recuperation coral. Here our injured pokémon can get some fresh air and exercise safely." Mari began. The coral was medium in size, with about a dozen bandaged pokémon roamed around, some resting in the shade. They moved to another building south of the house. Mari opened the door to let Tino inside.

"Here is the nursery, where we keep the eggs and the newly hatched pokémon- Oh!" she stopped, standing in front of one of the eggs, which was flashing. "Looks like this one is about to hatch!"

"Great! Do you mind if we observe?" Gary said calmly, while Ash was practically bubbling with excitement.

"Of course, I want you to get the whole experience of this ranch." A Blissey hurried over, taking the incubators lid off. "Thanks Beth."

"Blissey!" Beth replied, giving her signature Blissey smile.

"So what kind of pokémon is it?" Ash asked, watching the flashing egg with rapt attention.

"Based on the coloring, I'd say it's a Natu." Gary deducted, pointing out the two red and four yellow dots covering the green egg. Mari hummed in agreement, brushing a stethoscope over the egg's shell.

"Okay, looks like everything is going along great. Bring over the hatching table, would you Beth?" Mari said, carefully lifting the glowing egg. Beth nodded and nudged the roller table over as was asked. Mari gently set the egg on top of the pillowed surface. Not two seconds later the egg's flashing became a consistent glow, slowly transforming into a little bird pokémon.

Natu blinked his big charcoal eyes, looking around. "Natu?"

"Welcome to the world little one!" Mari said, smiling brightly. Umbreon and Tino chattered happily, eager to greet the new baby.

Natu ignored them all, totally infatuated with the person in front of him, who just so happened to be Gary Oak. Suddenly Natu bounced up and down and tried to make its way over to him when it fell. Gary caught the rambunctious Natu just in time before it could hit the floor. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Geez. You had me worried there little guy!" Mari said, brushing a hand through the soft downy feathers on Natu's head.

"Natu Natu!" Natu chirped, snuggling into Gary's chest happily.

"Wow, he must really like you Gary." Ash commented, the behavior the Natu was showcasing reminded him of his Bayleef back at Professors Oak's lab. Mari nodded in agreement.

"You know, the trainer who owned that egg couldn't keep it, so if you want you could take him with you." She suggested, noting how quickly the little bird connected with the researcher.

Gary paused, pondering his options before he shrugged. "Sure, why not? I could use another team member, right Umbreon?"

"Umbree!" She agreed whole heartedly, sending a kind smile to the newly hatched Natu.

Natu was positively ecstatic, flapping its wings wildly in its joy. "Natu Natu!"

They all laughed, finding the little bird pokémon adorable. "Alright little one, it's time for you to go play with the other baby pokémon for a while, okay?" Mari said, reaching for him. Natu cried and pressed his face into Gary's chest. "Oh sweetie, he's not going to be gone forever."

"I'll come back in a little while, okay?" Gary added, smiling down at Natu. Natu whimpered, not wanting to be separated from his trainer. Mari sighed dramatically.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be so bad if you came with us on the tour." She said nonchalant, though the small smile gave her away. Natu was overcome by joy, so much so that he hopped onto Gary's shoulder, nearly falling off in the process.

"Whoa! Looks like someone needs to get used to their legs!" Ash said, chuckling at the poor clumsy bird pokémon. Gary readjusted Natu, cradling him in one arm.

"Well, now that everything is settled here, why don't we finish the tour?" Mari proposed, helping Beth replace the hatching table to its rightful place.

"Yeah, let's go!" Ash exclaimed, a face splitting grin overtaking his face. Gary chuckled at his old rivals antics, but nodded nonetheless.

"Alright then. Next is the type training fields." Mari decided, scooping up Tino to rest on her shoulder.

"Ratta!" Tino cheerily, waving his paw in the air. They made their way down the hill to a huge field that was divided into individual parts.

"Okay, now each section of the field is specific to each type of Pokemon." Mari began, holding the gate open for the other's to step through. Ash couldn't believe his eyes, it was amazing. The area was in a rough square shape, and each section had a different field to work on. The fire types were on their immediate left, followed by the dragon types, then the electric, ground, rock, steel, and fighting types. On their right were the water types, the ice types, grass types, poison types, normal, and the flying types. Directly in front of them was the bug, dark, ghost, and…. Well, Ash didn't really know what the field in the corner was.

"What's that field for over there?" Gary asked, apparently just as confused as Ash felt.

"Oh, you mean in that corner over there? It's for the Eevees. They have their own station so that when it comes time for them to evolve, they can choose their own evolution."

"Ebwe!" a brown blur shot towards Mari. She grabbed it before it could knock her over and smiled. It turned out that the brown blur was actually a very energetic Eevee. "Bwe bwe!"

Mari laughed and patted the Eevee on the head affectionately. "Why hello to you to Oliver."

"Ah, so this is your Eevee." Gary mused, smiling as the memories of when Umbreon was still an Eevee herself.

"Actually, all the Eevee evolutions are mine. We haven't been entrusted with an Eevee for a while now, so my pokémon are just training amongst themselves for now." Mari explained. "Would you like to meet all of them?"

"Yeah! That would be awesome!" Ash piped up, smiling brightly.

"Umbreon!" Umbreon added, excited at the prospect of meeting her own kind.

"Alright…. Everyone! I have some people I want you to meet!" Mari bellowed, startling her guests. Upon hearing Mari's call, eight figures immediately hurried over, sitting themselves in a neat line next to her. Mari smiled and nodded in approval. "This one here is Jake."

"Jolt!" The Joelton barked in greeting.

"This one is Sandra." Mari continued, taping the Leafeon gently on the head. Sandra nodded politely in their direction. "Then it's Orion."

"Umbreon!" The small Umbreon smiled broadly, practically bouncing in excitement.

"Vince." Vaporeon's smile was not as enthusiastic as his neighbor, but was still genuine. "Franz."

"Flar." Flareon murmured shyly, not making eye contact.

"Glenda." Glaceon nodded, though she didn't seem very pleased. "Don't be fooled by her demeanor, she just isn't very fond of strangers." Gary and Ash nodded, smiling down at the wary ice pokémon.

"This next girl is Ania, who was the first Eevee I ever caught." Mari said proudly, rubbing gently behind one of Espeon's purple ears.

"Espe!" Espeon said, leaning in to her trainer's touch.

"And this is Lady." Mari finished, standing off to the side so they could get a proper look at the final pokémon. Gary gasped, staring at the cream and pink pokémon in front of him. Ash meanwhile was still in the dark.

"What kind of pokémon is she?" Ash asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"She's a Sylveon, a fairy type I believe." Mari replied. Umbreon greeted each of them, her tail waving in excitement.

"Have you had her since she was an Eevee? How did she evolve?" Gary shot off, absolutely delighted to discover that his very own research subject was standing in front of him. Mari scratched her nose, feeling slightly awkward.

"Sorry, but I caught Lady after she had already evolved, so I don't really know what made her evolve into a Sylveon." Mari replied apologetically. Gary felt a little disappointed for a moment, but quickly shook it off.

"Do you mind if I study her? You see, I came to Unova to gather some information on Sylveon, and it would be great to study one up close." Gary practically begged, his charcoal eyes glowing with excitement and the desire for knowledge.

Mary turned to Lady. "What do you think girl? Would you mind helping Gary with his research?"

"Sylveon." Lady said with a kind smile, bowing graciously. Mari chuckled to herself.

"Now you know how I came up with her name. She's always been a proper lady, ever since I found her."

"She looks really well trained. They all do." Ash complimented, holding his hand out for Ania to inspect. Ania sniffed it before prodding his hand with her head.

"Thanks. They work hard." Mari said, her posture tall and proud. "Alright guys, go on and take a break for a while." Oliver jumped out of Mari's arms, sounding off with the rest of the Eevee evolutions.

"Actually, our last stop is the play area anyway, so why don't we all go together?" Mari suggested. All of her pokémon agreed, all that is except for Tino.

"Rattata." Tino said, jumping off of Mari's shoulder.

"Alright, go on ahead. Just try not to push yourself to hard this time."

"Ratta!" Tino ran off to the normal type practice range. Mari smiled and led the group to the other side of the property. The fenced in area consisted of several pieces of playground equipment, including swings and slides. Several trees were placed sporadically along the property. Pokémon littered the area, enjoying all the playthings that they were given.

"Okay, now go on and play everyone!" Mari said. The pokémon all gave a shout and hurried over to their friends.

"Umbreon!" Umbreon exclaimed, practically begging for Gary to let her follow them.

"Go on, have some fun." Gary consented, smiling fondly after her.

"Hey, I got an idea." Ash said, throwing all of his pokèballs into the air. His pokémon appeared instantly, greeting their trainer. "Go on and play guys!"

Scraggy, Oshawatt, and Pignite scurried away, heading for the slides. Snivey walked casually, not in any hurry what so ever. Charizard shuffled over to a nearby tree to lounge.

"Natu natu!" Natu wriggled in Gary's arm, trying to follow Ash's pokémon. Gary tightened his grip.

"Sorry little guy, you're still too little to play with the big boys." Gary chided gently. Natu looked longingly towards the swings, but obeyed his trainer's wishes. Mari and Ash gave the little bird pokémon sympathetic looks.

"Well, that's the end of the tour, why don't we-" Mari was cut off by a pokémon call.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu shouted, heading straight for Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, catching Pikachu in his arms. Pikachu wormed his way onto Ash's shoulder, rubbing his cheek against his affectionately.

"Well, looks like someone is feeling better." Mari observed, giving the pair an amused look. Kiara hopped onto her own shoulder, wrapping her tail loosely around her neck. "You gave him an Oran berry, didn't you?"

"Pika!" Kiara confirmed, smiling widely. Mari nodded in approval.

"Good. I'm glad to see that you're all better. Why don't we go inside? It's nearly dinner time so I bet everyone's hungry." As if on cue, Ash's stomach let out a loud growl. Ash scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Guess I'm hungrier than I thought." Ash replied, making the other's laugh.

"I guess so. Before we go to the house I need to check with some of my guards."

"Guards? What guards?" Ash blanched. Gary and Mari shook their heads.

"You met a few of them when you came across this place, remember? Lucas and Rose?" Mari reminded gently.

"Oh right." Ash replied with an awkward grin.

"Pikachu, pika!" Kiara explained, waving her paw as she spoke.

"Pikaaaa." Pikachu murmured in understanding.

"That's right! We have a lot of pokémon here, some who are pretty rare, so we take extra precautions so that everyone is safe and sound here at Sunny Pallet Ranch." Mari translated, leading them towards a small wooden building.

"I guess that makes sense, but isn't this a little too extreme?" Gary commented, absentmindedly rubbing his fingers through the soft feathers on Natu's head.

"Maybe, but it makes me feel better knowing that they're there." Mari replied simply. She turned to her companion, completely changing the subject. "Alright, let's get everyone's attention. Kiara, use thunder!" Mari commanded, holding her arm out for Kiara to climb down.

"Pikaaaaa…. CHU!" Kiara shouted, sending a powerful shock to a huge light post next to the building. The light flashed brilliantly through the air. In less than five minutes Lucas and Rose stood at attention in front of Mari, along with a Pidgeot, an Absol, a Scizor, an Ampharos, a Dewott, and a Sandslash.

"Report!" She demanded in a kind but authoritative tone. Lucas acted as a translator for the new comers, seeing them as no threat. They began with Pidgeot and Absol, who evidently didn't run into any trouble. Next was Scizor and Ampharos, who also had nothing to report. Dewott and Sandslash found an injured wild pokémon but otherwise ran into no problems. "Great job everyone! Now I want you to meet our new friends."

"I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu." Ash began with a smile.

"Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted, sharing his trainer's wide smile.

"Gary. Nice to meet you." Gary followed. Natu wiggled in his arms.

"Natu! Natu!" Natu cried happily, nearly falling out of Gary's arms in his excitement. The pokémon returned the greetings with cautious smiles, but once they saw the trust in Mari's eyes they relaxed.

"Oh! Do these ones have names to?" Ash asked. Though he personally didn't like naming his own pokémon, it was cool to find out the names of each one that belonged to Mari.

"They sure do! The first two I talked to are Jenny and Andrei."

"Juta!" Jenny sounded, smiling.

"Absol." Andrei murmured, seeming to still be uneasy around the strangers.

"Next is Skylar and Marley." Scizor nodded, while Marley's tail wagged excitedly, the light shining slightly from the red tip.

"And Last but not least Devon and Sandy."

"Deewwott." Devon barked, saluting the newcomers. Sandy didn't say anything, apparently uninterested.

"And of course you know Lucas and Rose." Lucas and Rose nodded in recognition, smiling slightly. Pikachu greeted them, finally remembering who they were

"Alright team, now that introductions are over, go to the station and shift out okay?" Mari ordered with a wink. The pokémon guards nodded in agreement, eager to go on break. They raced off, leaving Rose and Lucas standing there.

"Ivysaur!" Rose exclaimed, rubbing her head against Mari's leg. Mari scratched the top of her head affectionately.

"I'd like to say you do that because you missed me, but I have the sneaking suspicion that it's due to the dinner menu tonight." Mari said with a laugh. Rose nodded vigorously, making the others join in the laughter. "Ah come on, where's the love?"

Without warning Rose wrapped her vines around Mari, lifting her in the air above her head. Kiara leaped out of the way just in time, landing neatly onto Ash's head. Mari let out a startled squeal but continued to giggle. "Well then, if you'll just follow _Rose_ back to the house so we can eat."

"Pika Pikachu Pi!" Kiara squeaked, jumping off of Ash's shoulder and darting off. Pikachu laughed and followed suit, the two of them running and chasing each other as they hurried to the house. Ash and Gary chuckled, not really used to this sort of interaction between trainer and pokémon, and hurriedly followed Rose to the house. Neither one of them ever once thought about her origin or how a girl as young as her could possibly run a magnificent place like Sunny Pallet Ranch.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, if anyone is confused on what names go to which pokemon, here is the list:**

**Kiara : Pikachu**

**Lucas : Lucario**

**Rose : Ivysaur**

**Tino : Rattata**

**Audrey : Audino**

**Beth : Blissey**

**Oliver : Eevee**

**Ania : Espeon**

**Glenda : Glaceon**

**Sandra : Leafeon**

**Orion : Umbreon**

**Franz :Flareon**

**Jake : Jolteon**

**Vince: Vaporeon**

**Lady: Sylveon**

**Jenny : Pidgeot**

**Andrei : Absol**

**Skylar : Scizor**

**Marley : Ampharos**

**Devon : Dewott**

**Sandy : Sandslash**

**I'll try to keep doing this for the new ones so you son't get lost. Also, the juto or juta sounds Pidgeot makes, they are supposed to sound like the french version of "j" if anyone was confused. Sorry for the long author's note, and please tell me what you think! :)**


End file.
